Training and Workforce
Workforce Crisis Demands Connected Career Pathways
Sharon DeVivo of Vaughn College discusses workforce development for the aviation industry
“Welcoming our Next-Gen”
Future aviation workers need a pathway to careers, not just outreach events, according to Sharon DeVivo, president of Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, speaking during the JetNet summit in Washington, D.C., this week.

The aviation industry’s approach to workforce development may rely too heavily on isolated outreach events rather than building connected pathways from youth engagement to career placement. Sharon DeVivo, president of Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, highlighted critical disconnections in how the industry recruits future workers this week at the JetNet iQ Summit in Washington, D.C.

While age 10 is the optimal time to begin reaching out to potential aviation professionals, current efforts lack continuity, DeVivo said. “The problem is we do this: you come to a great event, let’s say you come to an airport and you get an airside tour, and then we do a lot of this [crossing our fingers], and we hope they get to us, right? [It’s a] one-shot idea, and what we don’t have is a very connected pipeline."

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